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Dragon Age Wiki:Project Morrigan
With the coming of a new title of the franchise, we thought it was time again to change and improve the design of the Wiki. The main goal of Project Morrigan, as it was with Project Flemeth, is to improve the aesthetics and allow the user an easy access to information. If you would like to contribute to this project and help us, please go ahead and share your opinions, ideas and suggestions. The most important and impactful changes are the main page and slider redesigns. Main Page Discussion at Main Page discussion. The new look for the main page is inspired by metro design. Not only does it improve the main page aesthetically, but it also provides a clear interface making it easy to navigate. Each section (such as News, Forums, etc.) would have their own backgrounds - but only on the main page as of now. The images used are loosely context-dependant, but it's even more important they would fit with the rest of the images, the background of the Wiki, and ultimately the new theme. There is already a wide selection of images for the sections, but suggestions are always welcome, should an even more fitting and higher resolution image present itself. The main page without a changed background currently looks like this. Slider Discussion at Slider discussion. If navigation is important on the Wiki, it is even more so within the slider. Right now we have the main slide with 15 sub-slides. However, on the main slide some buttons don't have their corresponding sub-slides and they link to somewhere else. For example, Lore links to Category:Lore, which makes general information about Dragon Age's lore harder to find. There are also buttons that are redundant and could be grouped somewhere else, while some other buttons lead to a sub-slide that is too crowded (e.g. Companions.) To solve this, a new tree structure is needed for a more reasonable grouping and getting rid of the clutter. The slider we are working on has three tiers. The base slider currently has five main components: Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition and Lore. However, there is room for two or four more. What we already have is enough, but if anyone has an idea for more components, feel free to share. You can see the base structure under the slider's discussion. Goals Discussion at Goals discussion. The overall look of the main page and the slider take precedence over these changes, but they are something to keep in mind. Also, we may not be able to reach all the goals Navigation The navigation bar - or top bar - should reflect the changes made to the slider on the main page, which means it would need a tree structure as well. We may also have the chance to stylize it. Infoboxes and tale headers The infoboxes and tale headers (or tables) are great as they are with the current style, but with a considerable skin change the blood splatters may not fit as well as they do right now. The main page will have a metro design, and the infoboxes and tale headers should reflect that. Quotes The quotes have the same style as hatnotes (e.g. ). These quotes could stand out more if stylized. An example can be found at the Fallout Wiki's quotation template page. Blogs Currently, only the news blog posts are acessible both on the main page and the top bar. But there are other blogs too that may interest the community - fanfictions, theories, maybe even personal posts. One way to make every blog easily accessible can be seen on the Assassin's Creed Wiki. They have two tabs within their news portal, a tab reserved for actual news and another for community blog posts. Chat Not quite priority, as the main base of the community doesn't visit the chat, or at the very least not often. However, once given the time, it should be fit to the new design. Color Theme Red has always been the theme color of Dragon Age, something one would always associate with the franchise. With Dragon Age: Inquisition, however, the color theme seems to be more green rather than red. This may be the least difficult to change, but on the other hand, this has a huge impact on the whole Wiki skin and we have to be careful when considering a color theme change. Other ideas * Regarding "no more blood splatters", they seem to use some marble-like/grunge texture on their official website. Maybe this could be used for the redesign of the infoboxes. * On the components themselves, the edit link could be made more subtle, more appealing. * Perhaps instead of two tabs for news and community blogs, we could have a "Featured Blogs" or "Pinned Blogs". * There's an idea of having a mouseover glow on the game portals corresponding to the marketing colors for each game. However, this may cause some inconsistencies with the color scheme. Mockups Discussion at Mockups discussion. The following mockups made by D-day are just ideas and concepts. If you have a mockup too or just simply an idea, please do share! Color theme mockup As it was said on the page of Project Morrigan, changing the color theme could be the easiest to change of all, but it is also the most impactful difference at the same time. This is why it's important to see first how would a new color work out with the design of the Wiki. Albeit the images below were made with the current design in mind, they still give a good idea about what we could expect from a color change. On the first image, the navigational bar's and buttons' colors would change too. On the second image, we tested how we could improve the traditional, plain red color theme. Green theme mockup.jpg|Gradient green Red theme mockup.jpg|Gradient red Main page and slides Landing page.jpg|Look of the landing page Extended slides.jpg|Possible extension for two more slides Landing page Inquisition.jpg|Navigation - Text and images Landing page Inquisition 2.jpg|Navigation - Columns, following current design Landing page Inquisition 3.jpg|Navigation - A good way to avoid crowded slides Landing page Inquisition 4.jpg|Navigation - Images only for companions Mouseover mockup.jpg|Mouseover effect - Glowy background for the title Mouseover mockup 2.jpg|Mouseover effect - Subtle line next to the title Mouseover mockup 3.jpg|Mouseover effect - Glowing frame for an image Discussions Main Page discussion Is this the right place to comment? Can't tell. Anyway, the main issue I have is with font color. The red used in some of the above examples just doesn't stand out enough. For example, in the Gradient Red image, the red letters in "Statistics" and "Chat" go from dark red and then fade to black, which makes them hard to read against the black background. The Green looks better, though with that background used on the Forums part the letters blend right into it, so that wouldn't work. The white text on the Landing page looks okay, but again it's overshadowed by the background images. I feel like the lettering needs to stand out more and be easier to read. I like the red lettering as it is on the site right now, though it doesn't stand out enough on the Featured Images section. -- 23:05, October 31, 2014 (UTC) It is indeed the right place Now that you pointed it out, the black gradient does blend into the background, which is unfortunate - and an outline for text (even if it was something really thin) could potentially ruin the design, however without that it'd be a bit hard to read, especially on smaller screens. Probably that just means no gradient text, but perhaps the bar on the very top could still be. I don't worry about the Forums part or any of the other components, as they already have different backgrounds that are faded and not too bright. I think most vivid colors would work as long as they aren't gradient with black. -- 23:35, October 31, 2014 (UTC) Slider discussion The base tree structure for the slider: * Dragon Age ** Games *** Dragon Age: Origins *** Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening *** Dragon Age II *** Dragon Age: Inquisition *** Dragon Age Journeys *** Dragon Age Legends *** Dragon Age RPG *** Heroes of Dragon Age ** Guides *** Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide *** Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening: Prima Official Game Guide *** Dragon Age: Inquisition Official Strategy Guide ** Books *** Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne *** Dragon Age: The Calling *** Dragon Age: Asunder *** Dragon Age: The Masked Empire *** Dragon Age: The Last Flight ** Soundtrack *** Dragon Age: Origins (soundtrack)|Dragon Age: Origins *** Dragon Age II (soundtrack)|Dragon Age II ** Comics *** Dragon Age (Penny Arcade Comics)|Dragon Age comics by Penny Arcade *** Dragon Age (IDW comic)|Dragon Age comics by IDW *** Dragon Age: The Silent Grove *** Dragon Age: Those Who Speak *** Dragon Age: Until We Sleep ** Film *** Dragon Age: Warden’s Fall *** Dragon Age: Redemption *** Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker * Dragon Age: Origins ** Companions (Origins)|Companions ** Header for Origins *** Alistair *** Dog (Origins)|Dog *** Leliana *** Morrigan *** Oghren *** Shale *** Sten *** Wynne *** Zevran Arainai *** Loghain Mac Tir|Secret companion ** Header for Awakening *** Anders *** Justice *** Nathaniel Howe *** Oghren *** Sigrun *** Velanna ** Gameplay *** Achievements (Origins)|Achievements *** Approval *** Codex (Origins)|Codex *** Epilogue (Origins)|Epilogue *** Gifts (Origins)|Gifts *** Origins *** Skills *** Romance (Origins) ** Classes and specializations|Classes *** Mage (Origins)|Mage *** Rogue (Origins)|Rogue *** Warrior (Origins)|Warrior ** Equipment *** Accessories (Origins)|Accessories *** Armor (Origins)|Armor *** Clothing *** Collars *** Crystals *** Item sets (Origins)|Item sets *** Kaddis *** Weapons (Origins)|Weapons *** Weapon runes (Origins)}Weapon runes ** Locations *** Ferelden *** Brecilian Forest *** Circle Tower *** Denerim *** Lothering *** Orzammar *** Redcliffe Village|Redcliffe *** Village of Haven ** Quests (Origins)|Quests *** Main quests (Origins)|Main quests *** Side quests (Origins)|Side quests *** Companion quests (Origins)|Companion quests *** Quest board|Board quests ** Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening *** Armor runes (Awakening)|Armor runes *** Epilogue (Awakening)|Epilogue *** Items (Awakening)|Items *** Main quests (Awakening)|Main quests *** Side quests (Awakening)|Side quests ** Downloadable content (Origins)|Downloadable content *** Leliana's Song *** Return to Ostagar *** The Darkspawn Chronicles *** The Golems of Amgarrak *** The Stone Prisoner *** Warden's Keep *** Witch Hunt ** Guides *** Storyline for Dragon Age: Origins| *** Attributes (Origins)|Attributes *** Combat mechanics (Origins)|Combat mechanics *** Exploits (Origins)|Exploits *** Archery (Strategy)|Guide for archers *** Tank|Guide for tanks *** Healing spells efficiency *** Experience|Experience *** Console (Origins)|In-built console for PC users *** Injuries *** Unique equipment (Awakening)|Item guide for Awakening *** Unique Equipment (Origins)|Item guide for Origins *** Money making guide *** Possible Landsmeet Outcomes|Landsmeet outcomes *** Resistances (Origins)|Resistances *** Stealing: Profitable Targets *** Tactics (Origins)|Tactics *** Threat *** Traveler *** Unlimited Supplies * Dragon Age II ** Companions (Dragon Age II)|Companions *** Anders *** Aveline Vallen *** Bethany Hawke *** Carver Hawke *** Fenris *** Isabela *** Merrill *** Sebastian Vael *** Varric Tethras ** Gameplay *** Achievements *** Crafting *** Codex (Dragon Age II)|Codex *** Epilogue (Dragon Age II)|Epilogue *** Friendship and rivalry *** Gifts (Dragon Age II)|Gifts *** Romance (Dragon Age II)|Romance *** Classes and specializations (Dragon Age II)|Classes *** Mage (Dragon Age II)|Mage *** Rogue (Dragon Age II)|Rogue *** Warrior (Dragon Age II)|Warrior ** Equipment *** Accessories (Dragon Age II)|Accessories *** Armor (Dragon Age II)|Armor *** Armor runes (Dragon Age II)|Armor runes *** Companion armor *** Item sets (Dragon Age II)|Item sets *** Items (Dragon Age II)|Useable items *** Weapons (Dragon Age II)|Weapons *** Weapon runes (Dragon Age II)|Weapon runes ** Locations *** Kirkwall *** Darktown *** Docks *** Gallows *** Hightown *** Lowtown *** Sundermount *** The Wounded Coast ** Quests (Dragon Age II)|Quests *** Main quests (Dragon Age II)|Main quests *** Secondary quests *** Side quests (Dragon Age II)|Side quests *** Companion quests (Dragon Age II)|Companion quests ** Downloadable content (Dragon Age II)|Downloadable content *** All-Class Item Pack *** All-Class Item Pack II *** Legacy *** Mark of the Assassin *** The Black Emporium *** The Exiled Prince ** Guides *** Storyline for Dragon Age II|Storyline *** Attributes (Dragon Age II)|Attributes *** Combat mechanics (Dragon Age II)|Combat mechanics *** Exploits (Dragon Age II)|Exploits *** Experience|Experience mechanics *** Console (Dragon Age II)|In-built console for PC users *** Injuries|Status effects *** Resistances (Dragon Age II)|Resistances and weaknesses *** Tactics (Dragon Age II)|Tactics and tips for set-ups * Dragon Age: Inquisiton ** Companions (Inquisition)|Companions *** Blackwall *** Cassandra Pentaghast *** Cole *** Dorian *** Iron Bull *** Sera *** Solas *** Varric Tethras *** Vivienne ** Advisors *** Cullen *** Josephine Montilyet *** Leliana ** Gameplay *** Mounts *** Romance *** Skyhold *** Classes and specializations (Inquisition)|Classes *** Mage (Inquisition)|Mage *** Rogue (Inquisition)|Rogue *** Warrior (Inquisition)|Warrior ** Downloadable content (Inquisition)|Downloadable content *** Armored Mount *** Flames of the Inquisition *** Flames of the Inquisition Armor *** Flames of the Inquisition Weapon Arsenal * Lore ** Geography *** Thedas *** Anderfels *** Antiva *** Dales *** Elvhenan *** Ferelden *** Free Marches *** Nevarra *** Orlais *** Par Vollen *** Rivain *** Seheron *** Tevinter Imperium ** Races *** Dwarf *** Elf *** Human *** Kossith *** Qunari *** Darkspawn ** Languages *** Dwarven languages and phrases|Dwarven *** Elven language|Elvish *** Tevinter Imperium#Imperial language|Tevene ** Society *** Currency *** Education *** Mage|Magic *** Sexuality and Marriage ** Religion *** Chantry *** Elven Pantheon *** Imperial Chantry *** Old Gods *** The Stone *** Qun ** Organizations *** Circle of Magi *** Grey Wardens *** Inquisition *** Seekers of Truth *** Templar Order ** Timeline *** Ancient Age *** Divine Age *** Glory Age *** Towers Age *** Black Age *** Exalted Age *** Steel Age *** Storm Age *** Blessed Age *** Dragon Age ** Historical events *** Blight *** First Battle of Kirkwall *** Mage-Templar War *** The Breach Since we can potentially add two more branches, I was considering a Wiki and a community related one. The former would have useful links to guidelines, policies, who has what kind of role (like admins in case someone wants to contact one), perhaps even some special pages. The latter would be focused on the community, possibly community blogs (in case the feature mentioned in Blogs won't be added) and things like that. My problem with this is it would have a lot less links, practically making them filling. The other thought I had is to split one of the branches above into something new, but that either have too few or too many links. If anyone has any idea what else we can add, or actually think that this is enough as it is, any constructive idea or opinion is welcome. -- 18:59, October 27, 2014 (UTC) Goals discussion Mockups discussion Suggestions Background So far I think this image is the most suitable for background. It is the highest resolution of cover art without EA and BioWare watermarks. -- 18:59, October 27, 2014 (UTC) Component images I have been gathering images for the slides for a while now. Not every one of those got to be used, and sometimes the images I suggested for a component were used for something else, working out even better. So if you have any good suggestions as to what images we could use for different components, just go ahead and share! What would define a good image for the components? * Aesthetically pleasing * Fitting with the (color) theme * Has high resolution, otherwise it will be too small for the components (e.g. 600x800 is small) * When somewhat faded, it's easy to read text on it (i.e. flare or sun makes it only harder, but if the image is big enough, it could be cropped) * While the images can be loosely context dependant, it's not priority. I'm also going to document here all the images I've considered before, so you could see what may have already been used or wouldn't meet the requirements above. Images for components such as twitter, forum, statistics etc. 1st image 2nd image 3rd image 4th image 5th image 6th image 7th image 8th image 9th image 10th image 11th image 12th image 13th image 14th image 15th image Images for slides 16th image 17th image 18th image 19th image 20th image 21st image 22nd image 23rd image 24th image 25th image 26th image 27th image 28th image 29th image -- 18:59, October 27, 2014 (UTC) Legacy Previous version of the Sliders available at * Portal:Component/v1/Slider * Portal:Component/v1/Main * Portal:Component/v1/Dragon Age * Portal:Component/v1/Dragon Age: Inquisition * Portal:Component/v1/Dragon Age: Origins * Portal:Component/v1/Dragon Age II * Portal:Component/v1/Companions * Portal:Component/v1/Guides